Electric car



July 6 1926. 1,591,569

O. P. SMITH ELECTRIC GAR Filedoct. 17, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 July 61926 O. F. sMlTH ELECTRIC CAR Filed oct. 17. 1922 Hg. E. 55 ms l 3,7 3b

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

' Patented. July 6, 1926.

OWEN I. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

, ELECTRIC CAB.

Application med october 17, 1922. serial No. 596,645.

My invention relates to electric cars, and especially t'o that class which is employed in conveying some object, or objects, as a lure, or bait in dog racing and the like, at a high 1 5 rate of speed about a small circular track.'v

The object of my invention is to provide such an electric car, which can be operated by an electric current and the speed of which can be controlled atthe will of thel operator located at some suitable point along the cir: cumference of the track. And another objectfis to provide suitable means for supporting and carrying the Vob ject or objects to be conveyed around said track by the said electric car.

With the above, and other objects in view which will be more'particularly-set'forth in the following specication, my invention consists of the arrangement and combinaltion of parts as hereinafter' described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed herein, yet, for the purposes of illustrating a particular, embodiment thereof, reference ,ishad to the'accompanying drawings, in which Ilike reference characters designate thesame parts throughout the several views, and in which, L Y j F'gure Y 1V isgi.ltop)pit.I'1'fi v"2if n iy said elct'ric caiwith part o f contact shoe broken Ao Figure 2 isa side view and elevation of my said car, with portionsfof the arm 39 and parts attached broken of.

Figure is-a detail view of wheel 43 and bracket 44.

Figure 4 is a detail view of the wheel 43,

the arm 39,

f arm 39 andparts shown in Figure 3, taken` from left of Figure 3.

In the construction of my said electric car, I have prcferablymade the framework of angle iron, as 1 and 2 for the side rails, and 3 and 4 for the end pieces. These parts are securely attached at the corners, eitherl by rivets or by welding, as may be desired. To supportthe working parts upon said car, I have "provided suitable cross pieces attached to the side rails, as 6, 7, 8, all of which are suitably attached to the side rails at either side and vform a bed for said car. A t the re'ar of the aforesaid side rails 1 and 2, I have provided suitable bearings as. 9- and 10 in which `is rotatably mounted the axle j 11, and at the respective ends of this axle I have provided the two flanged drivewheels as 12 and 13 for operation upon a suitable railtrack (not show1l)and for propelling said car, as hereinafter described.

At the forward part of my said car, I i

have provided the loosely mounted cross piece, as 5. This cross piece is mounted upon a p1n or king bolt as 18, passing through a suitable opening in the cross piece 6, and

suitably mounted in the cross piece l5 as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1. To retain said cross piece in operating position, I have provided suitable guides, as 14, 15, 16', 17, which are attached to said cross piece near its ends, and extend up and 'above the upper portion of the side rails land 2 as shown. As the ends of the cross piece are disposed below the vupper portion of the side rails, as shown in dotted lines Figure 1, it, will beapparent that when the cross piece is moved backward and forward in operation, that it will retain its original horizontal position, by reason of the cross piece being disposed below a portion of the side rails, andthe guides being disposed above said side rails. j Attached to the cross bar 5 I lhave provided ytwo suitable bearings, as 20 and 21, and in these bearings I have mounted the axle 22, with the two flanged traction wheels 23 and 24 attached at its ends, for operation upon a suitable rail track. At 25 and 26 I have provided suitable weights'to hold the car down against-an V accidental tendencyto raise and jump'o t e rails inits operation: At 27 and 28 I have provided tension s rings extending from a suitable connectlon with the loosely mounted cross bar 5 to cofrres onding connections ,with the fixed cross ar 7. The purpose of these springs is to counterbalance eachother, and hold the cross bar 5, and the axleand wheels mounted thereon, in alignment with 'the rear wheels 12 and 13, and. yet to permit -the forf wardcross bar, 5 and the wheels 23 and 24 mounted thereon, to turn sufficiently to adjust their direction to any curve in the rail track upon which they are bein o erated, without l too much friction, an wlthout the danger of their jumping from the track on too short a curve, as would be the case if' they were rigidl 4mounted upon the car frame similar to t e mounting of Vthe rear wheels.

At 29 I have provideda suitable electrlc motor having a gear wheel 30 mounted upon its shaft, and this gear wheel is in mesh Witlfi an idler gear 3l* which meshes with a rail ytrack upon which it lis l operation, 1n the manner usual with electrically driven cars. 4

An electriccontact shoe, to contact With a third rail (not shown) is provided at 34, attached to the rear of the car in Figure 2. At 33 is also provided a switch of the usual knife-edge style for switching the current in and outat the car.

At the Bide of the car as shown, rI have attached the two upright supports 35 and 36', i

and at the up r parts of these supports I have providevv -suitable bearings in which is mounted the shaft 37. At the middle portion of said shaft 37, I have provided a col lar as 38, and to thiscollarI have attached a horizontally extending arm 39. A suitable 4 collar 40 is attached to the arm\39 as shown,

and from this collar braces as 41 and 42 extend to and are'attachedV near the ends of the shaft 37 to brace said construction, and increase its rigidity under strain in At the free end of the larm 39 I have mounted the rotating traction Wheel 43 be- 1ng adapted to` contact with the ground-or other support in its operation as hereinafter described, and upon said arm 39 above 'said Wheel I have provided a bracket as 44, and on this bracket 44 I` have mounted a saddle, as 45, adapted to receive and support objects, as rabbit lure, or other -deunseres sired objects attached to said saddle by means oit boltsp-assed through the holes 46 Y in said saddle as' shown in Figure 1. The upright supportsl35 and 36 may be braced as illustrated at 47 in Fig. 3 ot the drawing topniake them-more rigid against the strain of opera-tion. The brace 47 -is inclined and may be mounted on any suitable portion o the framework adjacent the said uprights 35 and 36.

vIn its usual operation, my said electric car is propelled along upon rails, in the usual manner, by means of .current supplied through line'feed Wires from the third rail and shoe to the motor. The traction Wheel 43 rests upon the ground or other support provided, and rotates along at a course parallel to the electriccar, andv at a distance therefrom regulated by the length lof the arm 39, which is the object to be attained.

Additional equipment may be provided to conceal the electric car, if desired, buty such' means are no part of the present invention. y

Having thus described .my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following In a device of the class described, the combination with an electrically driven car, of upright posts attached to'one side of the frame, a rocker shaft mounted in bearings in said posts, a horizontally extending arm rigidly mounted in said shaft, a wheel rotatably mounted on the free end of said arm, a bracket also mounted upon the Afree end of said arm extending above the Wheel, and

a saddle mountedupon said bracket, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed the foregoing specificatio.

WEN P. SMITH. 

